Ethereum Developers Provide Detailed Plan for Quantum Threat

The Ethereum Foundation has announced a new step to ensure the long-term security of the network against quantum computing threats.

The foundation has officially launched a dedicated platform focused on “post-quantum security” research. The new platform details how Ethereum will be protected against existing cryptographic systems that quantum computers might be able to break in the future.

According to the foundation’s statement, this initiative is actually not new; the process, which began in 2018 with STARK-based signature collection research within the Ethereum ecosystem, has today evolved into a comprehensive project with numerous teams working in a coordinated manner. In addition to the Post-Quantum and Cryptography teams, the Protocol Architecture and Coordination teams are also involved in these efforts. All of this research, which has been ongoing for over eight years, is being developed as open source.

The new platform examines in detail the impact of post-quantum cryptography on Ethereum’s different layers. According to the published roadmap, the transformation will be a multi-layered process encompassing execution, consensus, and data layers. In this context, solutions such as “account abstraction” are highlighted to enable users to transition to quantum-resistant authentication methods, while validator signature systems are planned to be replaced with hash-based alternatives.

The initial goal is to integrate post-quantum signature verification systems (PQ signature precompiles) into the EVM, while in later stages, solutions will be developed to directly send transactions with these signatures and optimize signature sizes through aggregation.

At the consensus layer, a more critical and complex transformation is planned. The goal is to replace the current BLS signature mechanism with hash-based post-quantum alternatives. This process will begin with validators registering their new quantum-resistant keys and will progress over time to block verification processes being conducted entirely with new signature systems. However, the larger size of post-quantum signatures and their lack of a natural aggregation feature like in current systems pose a significant technical challenge. To solve this problem, Ethereum developers are working on SNARK-based compression methods and a lightweight zkVM architecture called leanVM.

At the data layer, the goal is to improve the network’s data accessibility and to make blob structures quantum secure. This includes integrating the leanVM infrastructure into the data layer and developing data structures compatible with post-quantum cryptography. Optimizing signature and data collection processes at the data layer is still under research, and this area stands out as one of the most dynamic parts of the roadmap.

This entire process has specific milestones. The first phase involves implementing a post-quantum key register system (I*) for validators. This will be followed by the deployment of new signature verification infrastructures at the execution layer (J*). Next, new verification systems and leanVM-based solutions will be implemented at both the consensus and data layers (L*). The final phase aims to fully make signature collection mechanisms and data structures post-quantum compliant (M*). In the long term, the plan is to transition to a fully post-quantum secure Ethereum network across all layers.

While the Ethereum Foundation acknowledges that quantum computers don’t yet pose an immediate threat, it points out that the transformation of a global and decentralized network will take years. Therefore, preparations should begin early. According to the Foundation, this process is not only a security measure but also an opportunity for the protocol to become simpler, more secure, and more decentralized.

In addition, the application process has been launched for the second Post-Quantum Research Summit, to be held in Cambridge, England, in October 2026.

*This is not investment advice.